2009 UC19

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 UC19

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 15,047,522 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 UC19 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 UC19 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2009 UC19 orbits the sun every 410 days (1.12 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 1.40 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 UC19 is probably between 0.024 to 0.054 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2009 UC19's orbit is 0.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2009 UC19 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 21, 2026 15,047,522 8.768
Oct. 17, 2027 18,093,959 8.150
April 16, 2035 6,530,011 10.275
Oct. 17, 2036 27,315,137 7.032
April 12, 2044 5,188,446 11.348
April 7, 2053 18,056,935 14.088
Oct. 28, 2073 25,525,536 15.603
Oct. 23, 2082 8,379,975 12.418
Oct. 21, 2091 2,506,271 10.883
April 23, 2099 17,400,974 8.433
Oct. 18, 2100 15,600,658 8.521
April 16, 2108 5,452,867 10.538
Oct. 19, 2109 29,283,430 6.873
April 11, 2117 9,990,748 12.532
April 5, 2126 28,441,388 16.050
Oct. 26, 2146 12,920,706 13.243
Oct. 22, 2155 2,388,166 10.872
April 21, 2163 12,902,296 9.104
Oct. 17, 2164 20,674,886 7.821
April 12, 2172 7,841,106 12.121
Oct. 27, 2192 20,205,957 14.597

Images and Observations

2009 UC19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 24, 2009. It was last officially observed on Nov. 11, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 69 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2009 UC19:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.081 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.298
  • Inclination: 11.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 211.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 81.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 190.24°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.031 km
  • Magnitude: 25.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 410 days (1.12 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.68 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.40 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 UC19 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2009 UC19 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.